


Not the Killing Type

by chwangdol



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Alternate Universe - American Horror Story Fusion, Ghosts, Horror, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-22
Updated: 2014-03-22
Packaged: 2018-01-16 13:03:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1348474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chwangdol/pseuds/chwangdol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Death comes as an inevitable force, and it's just as haunting as living. Based on the first season of American Horror Story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spellonyou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spellonyou/gifts).



> This is the longest thing I've ever finished, and I'm very proud. It's also a very late birthday gift for the lovely spellonyou~.

“Yunho! Yunho!” the voice echoes down the streets, and the called for man laughs in reply.                            

“Just a little bit longer, Changmin. I swear, it’ll be worth it.”

Changmin rolls his eyes, if only they were visible to Yunho. But no, his boyfriend had decided that the best after dinner birthday present would be to drive them to some random park, blindfold him, and lead him around several blocks to his “big birthday surprise”.

“If it’s your dick I swear I’ll cut it off.”

Yunho laughs again, “So vulgar, Changdola. Okay, we’re here,” he stops him and steadies him as if not being able to see obliterates his balance.

The blindfold comes off with a gentle caress to Changmin’s cheeks, and Changmin stares dumbfounded at what’s presented before him.

“This is…”

Yunho smiles and puts an arm around his younger boyfriend, “The house you’re always nerding out about, yeah. I know how into all those gruesome urban legends you are. So I thought, since it’s your birthday, and I’m going to be going off to college next year, I wanted to do something really special for you. We’re going to go explore, Changminnie!”

Yunho makes to go to the rusty gate, dragging Changmin along by the hand, but he lets go, eyes and shoulders shaking, “Yunho… As thoughtful as this is, I’ve told you a billion times what all’s happened in there. I don’t want to go ‘exploring,’ especially not at night.”

The smile on Yunho’s face drops, but only for a second, “Then let me go in and take pictures for you, Changminnie, please. I know how interested you are in this house, and it doesn’t matter how many people have died in there or how horridly it happened. I don’t believe in ghosts or fate or curses, none of that stuff. Understand? I want to do something special for you, baby.”

Changmin shakes his head and grips Yunho’s wrist, “It’s been abandoned for years. What if there’s someone camped out in there? What if people live in there? Drug addicts or gangs? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Yunho chuckles and pulls Changmin forward into a half-hug, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “I promise nothing bad will happen. If anything attacks me in there, I can defend myself. You worry too much.”

With a strangled whimper of a failed reply, Changmin kisses him, “You worry too little,” he tells him when they pull apart, and Yunho smiles at him.

“I’ll be back in thirty minutes, I promise,” he presses another kiss to Changmin’s forehead when he grabs at his jacket, “Love you.”

Changmin watches him vanish through the door, lets his eyes travel over the monster of a house that stands in front of him. Once it would have been beautiful, but now it looks like a dump with fallen trees and broken windows. The bushes are over grown, and the lawn completely unkempt.

The sight of it would make anyone feel a little anxious, but, knowing the history, it makes Changmin feel sick.

He waits out the full thirty minutes, listening intently for any noise or hint of Yunho inside the house. He decides to give Yunho an extra five minutes and sends him a few texts, trying not to think of the worse.

It’s not until the forty minute mark that he decides he needs to enter the house. He’s a mess of shakes as he sets foot on the first step of the house, taking out his phone for a flashlight. The door opens for him with loud creaks, and Changmin’s on the verge of tears.

“Yunho… Yunho, if you thought it’d be a nice surprise to scare me in here, you’re wrong,” he walks through the door, hand covering his mouth just in case he needs to muffle some sobbing, “If you did that we’d be over,” something bangs right above him, and Changmin screams.

“O-or not… I was only kidding,” he takes a few steps through the dirty hallway, “Yunho please just come out, this isn’t funny at all,” a tear slips over his cheek, and Changmin curses himself as he wipes it off.

Around the corner he hears a door squeak open, “Yunho?” he takes a few steps closer to the sound, letting himself lean on the wall as he walks, “Yunho is that you?” the hallway he reaches is almost pitch black, only a little bit of light, allowing him to make out the shape of an opened door.

“Yunho are you down there?” there’s a quiet groan in reply, but it doesn’t come from the hallway. It comes from upstairs, “Y-Yunho can you hear me?” he whips his gaze away from the hallway, searching for the staircase to the 2nd floor.

He finds it without much effort, and he begins his climb with hesitant steps. The halls of the upstairs are less grimy than the state of the downstairs, but it’s still dirty enough to make Changmin’s skill crawl. He hears the creaks of floorboards and stops to make sure they aren’t his. The noise continues, so he follows the sound, taking each step lightly and as quiet as possible.

The door of the room he hears it from is cracked open. There’s no light inside, and when Changmin peaks through he doesn’t see any signs of life in there. Despite this, he knows what he heard, and he just wants to get Yunho and get out of here, so he inches the door open. It creaks open without a fight, and Changmin steps into the old bedroom, shining his phone’s flashlight in search for any sign of life.

Before he can find any, the door creaks again, coming to a complete close. His flashlight goes out, and his phone vibrates in signal of dying.

Changmin stands root still to the spot he’s in, letting the tears fall freely now. The floorboards start creaking again, and Changmin chokes out a sob, “Yunho?” he whispers, but he knows it isn’t him.

He’s grabbed from behind. His phone slips out of his hand, landing on the floor with a loud crack. The arms wrapped around his waist have a death grip on him, and, no matter how much he thrashes around, they don’t loosen. He’s thrown against the wall, sinking down to curl himself into a tight ball.

A weight is added to his body, someone’s on top of him, but Changmin keeps his eyes closed in a tight seal. Laughing spreads through the room, maniacal and terrifying. He feels a hand on his cheek, stroking his skin and none too gently wiping away his tears.

He knows he should do something, bite the hand he feels close to his face or kick off whoever’s on him, but he can’t bring himself to move. He chokes out a few more sobs.

“You’re a pretty one,” he hears a voice say. It’s male, soft but also scratchy.  A hand brushes through his hair, pulling at the ends, and Changmin keeps his eyes closed tight, “We should take you in a way that won’t interfere with that,” he whispers, straight into his ear, moving his bony hands over his neck and over his arms.

“Oh leave him alone,” he hears a new voice say. It’s a woman’s, “Can’t you see he’s scared out of his mind? Don’t scare him anymore. He’s so young.”

Changmin feels the weight leave him, and he feels the man’s bony hands replaced with soft fingers brushing over his cheeks, “Oh my, such soft skin. He’s such a darling boy, very precious. You can open your eyes now. It’s okay; the mean man has left. He won’t hurt you; I’ll protect you. I promise.”

His eyes open slowly. He doesn’t trust the voice, but he wants to know if there’s really someone there. A woman comes into focus in front of him. There are soft wrinkles indented onto her skin, but she doesn’t look very old, forty at most. Her black hair is curled and just barely reaches her shoulder. She helps him up and over to the bed.

“I’m sorry about that man. He doesn’t know his place, doesn’t know how to treat people nicely. You deserved to be treated nicely, such a sweet young boy like yourself,” she holds him close, and Changmin still can’t find the will to move any part of his body. He lets himself lean on the woman’s shoulder and crying into the sleeve of her dress.

“And what was a sweet boy like yourself doing here in the first place?” she brushes a bit of his hair out of his face and rubs circles into his back.

Changmin chokes back a sob when he thinks about his story, “Yunho,” he sobs out, “My friend. I need to find him.”

“Oh sweetie, I’m sure he’s fine. I saw a boy walk through the halls just a while ago. He’s probably in the basement with my daughter right now. Probably a bad influence on her, but what isn’t a bad influence on kids these days… I bet you’re not rebellious like she is. Bet you treat your mother nicely, no arguing. How old are you, darling?”

“I need to get to the basement, to find Yunho. I need to find him,” he attempts to stand, letting out a desperate cry when he’s shaking too much to walk.

The woman’s arms wrap around him again, “It’s alright, darling. He’ll be fine. I’m sure he’s a strong boy, doesn’t need you to look after him. Now, sweetie, just tell me how old you are.”

His tears soak the woman’s dress, and her hair tickles his face as he leans on her shoulder, “I’m sixteen today. He took me here for my birthday. F-for me…” he lets out another violent sob, and the woman clutches him to her chest.

“Oh, baby, it’s alright. It’ll all be okay,” she kisses the top of his head, “You know… I was supposed to have a son sixteen years ago. I wonder if he would have been as darling as you,” she lets him clutch onto her as he sobs, “You’re so beautiful, did you know that? If I had a son like you, I would never ever want you to grow out of that beauty.”

She lays them back on the bed, pulls Changmin away from her with gentle care. He looks up at her as she brushes his hair out of his face.

“That man from earlier,” Changmin breathes out, “What if he gets Yunho? Will he kill him? I couldn’t live with that. He would’ve died for some stupid birthday present.”

“Oh, sweetie, don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll make it all okay, I promise. Close your eyes now, darling. Pretend this is all a dream and calm yourself down.”

Changmin lets out a sob as he closes his eyes, taking deep breaths as he attempts to stop his crying, but then something’s being pressed over him, and he can’t breath anymore. He thrashes, trying to throw off whatever’s covering him. It hurts, hurts horribly as he gasps for air but is denied with cruel persistency.

But then nothing hurts, and he doesn’t have to fight for air. Breathing’s easy. The air around him has never been so clean, and he’s never felt so at ease.

He opens his eyes, and it’s not black. There’s a woman on a bed in front of him, and a boy laying next to her. He walks closer and sees the pillow covering the boy’s head, and there’s something eerily familiar about the boy.

His legs give out from under him when he realizes what it is. The woman finally looks back at him.

“Oh darling, you’re awake. Oh no, no, don’t cry again. It’s all okay.”

“That’s me,” he shouts out in between sobs, “I’m right there on the bed…” he voice dithers out to his crying, “That’s my body right there. It’s _dead **.**_ ”

“Oh, baby, no,” the woman begins, but Changmin cuts her off with a shout and sob.

“What am I… what happened,” he looks up at her with wide eyes, tears still streaming from them, and then he looks at his body again, sees it’s lifeless form, and he falls into a crying mess on the floor.

“Baby, it’ll be fine. You can be my precious son now. Be my sweet little child unlike my daughter. I’ll take care of you. And nothing will ever hurt you.”

\--

A woman’s sobs fill the white halls of the hospital as she squeezes her husband’s hand. The doctor comes out, and they both look up, desperation filling their eyes.

“He’s alive,” the doctor tells him, and the couple visibly relax, “But he’ll need stitches, and a week or two of bed rest. There’s also one more thing. When he woke up he was severely confused, began questioning everyone as to how he got there. This is normal for patients of course, especially after being through traumatic experiences. But so far he hasn’t been able to answer any questions about his attack. He had no idea what he was doing tonight or what his plans were.”

The couple goes silent; the woman’s the first to speak, “I’m sure he just needs time. After his bed rest he’ll remember everything. And then we can catch the psycho who did this to him.”

The doctor nods, and the couple are allowed into the room.

Two weeks later the couple are arguing in the kitchen.

“He still doesn’t remember,” the woman says, keeping back threatening tears.

“Maybe that’s for the better. Maybe what happened to him was bad enough that he shouldn’t remember it. And this way he’ll be more willing to move across country for school. Perhaps even excited about it.”

His wife looks down at the floor, “That boy Changmin’s still missing you know. And Yunho can’t tell the cops a thing about him. He says he never knew him. They were so close, and he just forgot him. That doesn’t worry you at all?”

“It’s a relief actually. That kid brought nothing good to our family. He corrupted our son and made him reluctant to pursue a promising education. It’s a blessing he’s gone and a blessing Yunho’s forgotten about him.”

 

_3 years later_

Changmin watches the people come and go from the house, cleaning out the dirt and taking away the broken furniture. They come in in large groups, clearing out rooms and polishing the wood until it looks new. What can be salvaged is salvaged, and the rest is taken away. Soon the windows are all fixed, the wood looks new, and Changmin watches the many residents examine it in awe.

He’s only been introduced to a couple of the residents in the few years he’s been here. After his first night, the first one he met was Boa. The woman’s daughter.

_“You killed your mother, didn’t you?” is the first thing he asks her, but she doesn’t seem offended at all._

_“And do you care? Now that you’re my new little brother? Do you care about the ‘mom’ that killed you?”_

_Changmin looks down at his feet then back up at the girl, “I just want to know why.”_

_The girl kicks a stool over to him and sits down on an old dirt-laced chair, “We argued a lot. Wanted different things. I didn’t want to get married, but she was determined that I would be the perfect housewife. I wanted to become a dancer. And not the ballroom dancing she gave me lessons for. I wanted to become a famous dancer and a contemporary one. She said that type of dancing was for sluts and low-lives. One day we were in the kitchen, arguing as always. My dad was watching us, trying to defuse the argument. But it got a little too intense. I picked up a knife off the counter and threw it. If it was just a little lower she would have survived, but my anger aimed for me I guess… My dad went mad after that. He picked up another knife and stabbed me in the neck. I never got to find out what happened to him after that, but I guess I deserved what he did to me.”_

_Changmin’s silent for a while, “And your family were the last ones to live here? How’d the house get so horrid in only sixteen years?”_

_Boa straightens in her chair and gives Changmin an odd look, “I died over fifty years ago. I don’t know what you’ve heard from my mom, but I doubt it’s true.”_

“It’s an old lady moving in here,” a man tells Changmin from behind him. It’s no one he’s met before. The man’s in an outdated suit, a cigarette trapped between his lips, “Remodeling the place just like it used to be. Which means people will be living here again. I’m glad. This place gets lonely a lot.”

Changmin wets his lips, watches a kid barely above five try to climb onto the counter, “They’ll die in here, won’t they? If anyone lives here, they’ll die.”

The man shakes his head, “Not completely true. Many escape, but it’s true the house has almost always claimed at least one from the family. Cigarette?” the man holds out a carton to him, and Changmin shakes his head.

“I don’t smoke.”

The man laughs and lights another one, “Neither did I until I died.”

 

The old woman moves in on her own, no family or friends. She hires a maid, but the young woman only visits once a week. The lady spends most of her time out in the garden, growing different plants and flowers and tending to them. The time not spent outdoors is spent in the kitchen, baking and cooking. She takes the food somewhere unknown, and some of the residents have fun guessing where she’s taking them.

Changmin doesn’t pay much attention to her, and when he does, he watches her in silence. Despite knowing she can’t see him, he still sticks to the corners or dark spots of the house.

“Darling,” he hears one day, looking over to see his ‘mother’ coming over to him, “Darling, I can’t help but notice you don’t seem very happy. If there’s anything you want your mommy to do for you, get for you, I promise I’ll do my best to make you smile.”

Changmin doesn’t talk to her as she pulls him into her arms, rocking him back and forth for comfort.

Eventually he breaks, “I just want to know what happened to him.”

“Oh, baby, baby, don’t worry. He didn’t die here. They didn’t kill him. My daughter put a knife to the one terrorizing him. The only way she knows how to deal with anything it seems… It gave him enough time to drag himself away at least. I’m sure he survived.”

Changmin swallows back tears, but there’s too much for him to hold back. He sobs, just like he did his first night here as his “mother” held him.

“I loved him. Really, really loved him. I don’t think I ever told him explicitly enough.”

“Oh, sweetie… It’s alright. It’s okay. A man’s love easily falters. A mother’s love is forever.”  


The old woman lives there in peace for a year and a half. Until one fateful day when she’s out in the garden.

Changmin’s sitting on the side of the house. A pair of bloody twins are running around the lawn, chasing each other it seems. Changmin watches them while also keeping an eye on the woman. Her steps have been a little shakier than usual, and he doesn’t want her hurt. He might even expose himself if he needs to.

The kids are running closer to the woman, running in circles around her. And then there’s a voice behind him. He almost jumps out of his skin.

“Look at them. They died so young, and no one even knows how. I’m pretty sure they still think they’re alive,” Changmin turns to look at the owner of the voice. It’s the man who attacked him the night he came here. The one with the bony hands and scratchy voice.

For the most part he’s been able to avoid the man, but he often forces himself into Changmin’s personal space, starting up conversations that Changmin really doesn’t want to have, “Go away, Jaejoong,” he tells him, and the man grabs his hair.

Changmin winces at the pain, tries to shake off his hand, “You should respect your elders, you know,” he tells him, “I’m being nice. Trying to talk to you like a normal person. There’s no reason for you to hate me like you do. I wasn’t the one who killed you.”

There’s a short yelp from the lawn, and Changmin turns his head soon enough to see the old woman fall straight to the concrete. The twins right behind her.

“Oh my god,” he whispers before he’s running across the lawn to the old woman. Jaejoong’s laughing behind him.

His fingers search for a pulse, tears coming to his eyes at the sight of the blood on the concrete. The laughing gets closer, and Changmin looks up to see Jaejoong standing over him.

“Do you think this is funny?” he yells up at him, “She’s dead! She’s dead, and you’re sick and disgusting for laughing!”

He continues to laugh, shaking his head down at Changmin, “I’m laughing at you. How you’re handling it. She was close to death anyways, and all she had was this house. That was all she had left. Now she can be here forever.”

Changmin slumps down onto the concrete, breaking into sobs. Jaejoong lets out another laugh.

“You cry so much. It’s pathetic.”

 

The house is on the market for nearly six months before a new family moves in. A family of 3. A nice couple and their toddler.

Changmin stays away from them for the most part. The old woman joins the residents without much fuss. She doesn’t garden anymore, instead she takes to spending her time in one of the guest rooms that looks out to the garden. She rests in the rocking chair by the window and enjoys what came of her hard work. He’ll sit with her sometimes. They never speak, but the silence is comforting, therapeutic even.

It’s not long until the wife finds out she’s pregnant, another baby on the way.

The wife, a nice woman Changmin decides from what he’s noticed of the family, visits the guestroom to sit in front of the window, but that doesn’t stop the old lady from also visiting. She sits in the rocker and looks out at the garden as always, but now she has a living audience. A living audience to see the rocker move on it’s own.

She runs out of the room with a short shriek, running straight to her husband. The old lady stops in shock, getting up from the rocker as the woman brings her husband into the room. Jaejoong enters as well, watching the woman try to explain what happened and her husband look on in worry before kissing her on the head and telling her she’s merely stressed.

“Wouldn’t it be hilarious if she went mad?” Jaejoong comments, and Changmin shakes his head.

“Let them be happy here. There’s no need for them to have trouble.”

Jaejoong shakes his head at him, “It’s not like we have to try to make her insane. This house will do it on it’s own.”

A week later a shriek sounds through the house, and Changmin watches the woman’s husband run up the stairs to her.

“There was a woman! A woman in our nursery! She was holding our little boy,” she yells, and Changmin once again hears the reassurance that she’s just a little stressed.

It continues like that. They install a new security system, but it only adds to her unease. Then one day the police are there during the night, and Changmin isn’t sure why, but they go up to the couple’s bedroom. They come down with the sobbing wife in handcuffs.

The husband watches them take her away, a tear slipping off his cheek. The next day another woman comes for the toddler, and the husband’s alone.

Changmin watches him come home from work everyday, always a bag from the liquor store down the street. He watches him sit in the kitchen and drink down whatever alcohol he’s brought home.

“It’s pitiful isn’t it,” the man with the cigarette comments one day, and Changmin jumps, not realizing anyone had been around.

“He’s in pain and doesn’t know how to deal with it,” Changmin tells him, and then Jaejoong joins them. There’s not a hint of pity in his eyes.

“He was the one who locked his wife up. He deserves this.”

Changmin shakes his head, stopping the bottle from falling to the floor as the man slumps over the counter, soundless tears falling onto the granite.

One day the man comes home with tears already in his eyes. There’s more than one bottle of liquor in the bag he sets on the counter. Changmin watches him drink as always, catching the bottle he almost knocks off as always. He sits next to the man when he finally gives into the tears. He doesn’t mean to make himself seen, or maybe he does. Maybe he’s just that desperate to comfort the man.

The man looks up at him, eyes glazed over as he stares at Changmin, “Who’re you?”

Changmin shakes his head and rubs the man’s upper arm as comfortingly as he can, “What’s wrong?”

Then the man completely breaks. His sobbing gets louder, and he lets himself fall against Changmin, crying into the crook of his neck.

“They’re dead. They’re both dead,” he moans out, and Changmin holds him as gently as he can, “She died in that place. And-and the baby wasn’t healthy enough to make it. They died.”

“It’s okay,” Changmin tells him, but he doesn’t believe it himself. He can see Jaejoong behind the man, watching him with amusement in his eyes. It makes Changmin feel sick.

“No it’s not,” the man sobs out, and he releases himself from Changmin’s arms, picking up the bottle and finishing it off. The third one is opened, and Changmin wonders how he’s still conscious, “I put her there. She was there because of me. They died because of me.”

Changmin watches him continue to drink, and this time when he slumps over the counter and his arm hits the bottle, he doesn’t catch it. He lets it fall into a million pieces on the floor, and he watches the man fall out of consciousness.

He sits with him all night, and then he hears him from behind.

“Is that me?” Changmin turns around, looks the man up and down

“Yes,” he answers, “you drank yourself to death it seems.”

The man goes over and lifts up his dead body’s head to take a look, “I’m pitiful.”

“No. You’re just dead.”

He’s silent for a bit, staring at his body, “I was only twenty-four.”

Changmin hops off his stool to stand next to the man, “I was sixteen.”

He drops his head back onto the counter, “You’re dead too?”

Changmin nods and looks up at the man. He wonders if this is what the man with the cigarette was referring to when said it would ease the loneliness having people move in. Because for once he doesn’t feel so alone, “There’s a lot of us here. What’s your name? Somehow I never heard it.”

“Kyuhyun… what’s yours?”

“Changmin.”

 

The house sits empty for another half a year until it’s snatched up again. The price isn’t much at all anymore despite the house’s big size. The history’s too much for most buyers.

Changmin sits with Kyuhyun as the new owners move in. It’s a large group of college kids who’ve bought it. They’re all in college with sport scholarships, and for most it’s their second or third year. It was cheaper for them to buy the house with their housing allowance rather than live in the dorms again, so they snatched up the opportunity and bought the place, just in time for the new semester.

They bring in cheap furniture. The nicest thing’s are their TVs. They’re loud and a lot of the older residents hate it, but it’s an odd comfort for Changmin to be around people not too far from the age he would have been. There’s 5 of them, two of them are hardly home, but Changmin recognizes one as a kid he went to school with. He was a freshman while he was a junior, and it’s odd to look at him now, looking older than him.

For the first few months they live peacefully, and Changmin doesn’t pay much mind to them.

But then he accidentally catches a glimpse of one as he’s getting out of the shower, and a feeling he hasn’t felt in six years grows inside him.

He takes to watching him a lot, trying to ignore Jaejoong’s smirks at him when he sees him leave the man’s bedroom.

“Falling in love with someone living?” he asks him, and Changmin rolls his eyes, “What happened to your love for your precious little boyfriend?”

He scoffs at him, “I’m not falling in love with anyone.”

“Just being a creep then, aren’t you?”

Changmin’s ready to give Jaejoong a punch in the face, but then the man with the cigarette shows up.

“Stop terrorizing him, Jaejoong,” he tells him, and Jaejoong glares at him.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Yoochun. I will never listen to you,” he grabs the cigarette from his mouth and throws it on the floor, smushing the bud into the wood.

The man he now knows as Yoochun watches Jaejoong go before giving Changmin a small smile and pulling out another cigarette, “Just keep ignoring him, Changmin. His mind isn’t right.”

He starts to leave, but Changmin speaks before he can leave the hallway, “Did you know him when you were alive?”

Yoochun stops walking, but he doesn’t say anything for a long time, “Knew him until my very last moment,” he finally tells him.

Two months later and Changmin still hasn’t acted on his slight obsession. He watches the man almost every second. He sees every moment of his life in the house, sees him sleep, sees him jack off, sees him bring people home, sees him do the most embarrassing things in the world.

“If you kill him you’d have him forever,” Jaejoong reminds him every chance he gets, “Or you could just go for it while he’s still living. Not like you have anything to lose.”

“Don’t try to make him do something he’ll regret,” Kyuhyun tells Jaejoong, and Jaejoong laughs at him.

“Why would he regret it? He’s dead. He shouldn’t have regrets. Let him have fun. Unless you’re jealous.”

Kyuhyun shakes his head at him, glaring when he laughs.

“Do you like the little sixteen year old brat over here? Are you that sick? After you killed your own wife, you’re going to go after the forever jailbait?”

He lands a punch straight in Jaejoong’s face, and it would have broken a living man’s nose. All Jaejoong does is laugh at him, and Changmin thinks about his comments. ‘Nothing to lose,’ he’d said. And maybe it’s true.

The next day Changmin stands outside his door, still thinking about Jaejoong’s words.

“Don’t do it, Changmin,” Kyuhyun tells him, “You’ll regret it I know you will.”

He looks back at Kyuhyun, and bites his bottom lip. Then Jaejoong’s beside him.

“Come on, Changmin. We all see how you look at him. You’re completely obsessed. And you have reason to be, of course. He has a heavenly body and face. You’re pretty enough for him, I’m sure you are.”

He swallows, and his hand is on the door without him meaning to put it there. He peaks in with an innocent look on his face. The man is sitting on his bed in sweatpants and a tight shirt; he looks gorgeous like that, and Changmin decides he’s definitely not turning around now.

The man looks up from his book and gives Changmin a dazzling smile. Something twists in his stomach as he’s instantly reminded of Yunho.

“And who are you?” he addresses him. His voice is kind and already a little flirty. A small smile sneaks it’s way onto Changmin’s face.

He enters into the room the rest of the way, “Donghae’s friend. I was looking for him, and he had given me a key, so I figured I could just come on in. Is he home?” he knows for a fact he isn’t. He knows he’s the only living person in the house.

“Of course he’d do something like that. Well, no, he’s not home. But you can stay here until he gets back. I don’t mind. I’m Julien by the way,” Changmin smiles at his introduction. Donghae’s not getting home until the next day, and Julien knows that. He takes it as an obvious hint towards Julien already being okay with his plans.

“Oh, well thank you. I’m Changmin,” he takes a few steps into the room, and Julien immediately sits all the way up, putting his book on the floor, and nodding to a spot on the bed for Changmin to sit. His shirt strains across his chest as he moves, and Changmin tries to not make his staring too easily seen.

“How old are you, Changmin?” he asks, smiling down at him as he sits on the bed.

“Nineteen,” Changmin answers, and he hears Jaejoong laugh outside at his lie.

Julien’s gaze sweeps over him, “How’d you meet Donghae?”

“We went to high school with each other,” he tells him, happy that he doesn’t really have to lie.

“Too bad he’s only into girls, because you’re a cutie,” Julien’s hand on the bed moves closer to him, and Changmin lets out a small laugh, blushing easily from not being flirted with in a long time.

“And are you only into girls?” Changmin asks, but he already knows the answer. He’s watched him bring home people of both gender, and it’s always put a stab of jealousy into Changmin’s heart.

“Luckily no. Or else I’d be missing out on such a pretty thing as you,” he leans in closer, and Changmin eyes fixate on his lips.

“You’re not too bad looking yourself,” Changmin tells him, and then he presses his lips to those gorgeous ones.

It’s been way too long since he was kissed, and Julien’s a great kisser. He lets himself be pushed back onto the bed as they kiss, lets Julien trap him in those muscular arms. His shirt is pulled off, and he soon relieves Julien of his shirt as well.

Julien lets him gawk at his chest and abs, obviously no stranger to this sort of treatment, and it surprises Changmin when he feels his large hands move over his much less developed stomach. He never really thought about the state his body will forever be left in. Still a little gangly and very skinny. He was tall for his age, but he was no where near the height doctors always said he’d reach. His worse year of puberty already came, so it could have been worse, but he’s still so young. He was going to grow so much more. He still hardly ever had to shave, still hardly had any muscle. And he’ll be this way forever.

“You’re so soft,” Julien tells him, and it snaps Changmin from his thoughts to smile up at the man. “So pretty,” he kisses him again, and it almost brings tears to Changmin’s eyes. His youth and acclaimed beauty is what got him here.

“God you’ve already got me so hard,” he feels Julien’s erection against his thigh, and the man grinds their cocks together, eliciting a moan from Changmin.

He moves them over to the top of the bed, laying Changmin against the pillows. He kisses his neck, and Changmin’s hands roam his muscular back, letting his fingernails run over the smooth skin.

Julien leaves bites on his collarbone, and then he’s pushing off Changmin’s jeans and boxers. His follow soon, and Changmin moans again at the sight of his cock. Julien reaches over him to dig in the nightstand drawer, and he comes back with a condom and lube.

It’s not long until Julien’s whispering to him that he’s pushing in now, and Changmin feels himself being stretched, reminding him of the very few times he’s felt like this before.

It hurts at first, but then Julien starts moving, and he starts moaning just like the man above him.

“God, Changmin… oh fuck you’re so tight,” his voice is breathless, completely undone, “Fuck, Changminnie, you’re the tightest I’ve ever had.”

_Changminnie._

The man above him blurs, and memories dance through his head. The scent of sex and sound of groans can’t bring him back. He sees Yunho. Only Yunho, and he doesn’t want to remember the other man. Not now at least, but why’d he have to call him that? It was a simple nickname of course, but only one person has called him that in his life.

He feels the tears stream down his face, and Julien’s voice only brings him half back to the current situation.

“Changmin,” he yells when he realizes the tears, “Oh fuck, fuck, am I hurting you? He stops his moving, stops thrusting. Oh fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you…”

Changmin’s still crying as he reaches over to the side table. There’s a ceramic bowl there, and Changmin grabs it, letting its contents go flying, and he hits the side of Julien’s head with the base.

He watches as Julien’s eyes get wide, and blood starts to fall from his forehead. He climbs off of him, and Changmin beats it against his head again. More blood appears, and he keeps slamming it onto his head over and over until he’s no longer struggling at all, until there’s no life in his eyes at all.

The bowl drops to the floor as Changmin finally comes to and realizes what he's done. He chokes out a sob when he sees all the blood and Julien’s body now on the floor. He brings the covers over himself and cries.

There’s someone at the door when he looks up, and Changmin instantly recognizes him as one of the men in the house. He’s the ultra religious one, the one who always gets mad at the others for bring so many people home or for any other “ungodly” acts, and now his eyes are on Julien’s body, staring at him, only breaking his gaze to look up in horror at Changmin.

And then there’s a gunshot, and the man falls forward, the horrified look now permanent on his face. Changmin watches the culprit appear as the man falls, letting out another sob when he sees Kyuhyun holding the gun, a devastated look in his eyes.

“You killed him, Kyuhyun,” he sobs out, and then he hears Jaejoong’s laughter again.

“If  he’d tried to explain to anyone what he saw they wouldn’t believe him,” Kyuhyun tells him. His voice is shaking and croaky, as if he’s holding back tears, “He’d be in prison or in a looney bin, and he doesn’t deserve that.”

Jaejoong walks up behind him with a sick smile on his face, “In other words, Changmin, they’re both dead because of you.”

“That’s not true, Jaejoong. Don’t tell him lies like that,” Kyuhyun growls out, and Changmin buries his face into a pillow as he cries.

“I’m proud, Changmin. You’re finally learning your roll in this place.”

They drag the bodies down to the basement and clean up the mess.

The remaining three move out as soon as possible.

 

Julien took his death rather well unlike his housemate.

Changmin was still in his bed when he appeared. His body had already been taken away, but he seemed to know what happened anyways.

“I died?” he questions Changmin, and Changmin nods with a small whimper.

“I killed you.”

“I hurt you.”

Changmin looks up at him, shock across his face, “No… you didn’t.”

“Then I upset you in some way, and I’m sorry.”

A tear rolls down Changmin’s face, “Why’re you so friendly to the person who killed you?”

“Well it seems like I’ll be with you a long time, doesn’t it?”

Changmin lets out a strangled laugh, “I guess so.”

The police come to investigate, but the crime remains unsolved, and soon the house is put up for sale again.

\--

“How is she?”

Yunho tosses the phone on the bed and sits down on the loveseat near it, burying his face in his hands, “She’s gotten worse. Some days she doesn’t even recognize her nurse.”

The woman on the other side of the room sighs, “I’m sorry…”

“I want to move back there. For her sake,” he looks up at his wife, a pleading gaze in his eyes.

She sighs, “But she won’t even recognize you… Yunho, we have a life here. Yebin is just about to start first grade. And we wanted to have another kid soon. Is it really that important to you that we have to move all the way across country?”

Yunho sighs at her argument, “I’m sorry, Minji, but yes, it really is. It really is that important. I wasn’t there when my dad passed, so I want to be there for my mom.”

Minji takes a deep breath, palms at the comforter underneath her hands, “I’ll think about it. I’m not sure if I’m ready to uproot my life like that.”

“There’s a house around her nursing home that’s affordable. I was looking a few days ago, just in case. It really wouldn’t be that hard of a move, Minji.”

“Yunho,” she snaps, “Let me think about this _on my own_. No persuasion from you, alright? And no more looking at houses until we’re sure.”

It takes a month, but eventually she caves. They’re ready for the move soon. They load up onto an airplane and fly away from their modernized dream house back to Yunho’s home town.

They arrive at their destined house in the beginning of August, just before the school year begins.

“It’s a little dreary,” Minji comments as she looks up at the old house, “Very old.”

“Wait until you see how big it is. It should be worth three times what it is.”

“And why’s it so cheap?” Minji questions, grabbing her daughter’s hand as the walk up the steps to the house.

“They said it had a bit of a history, but it’s not too bad I’m sure.”

The relator opens the door with a large smile on her face. She introduces herself with pristine manners and politeness, and Yebin looks up at the tall ceilings of the place and gives a toothy smile.

“It’s like a castle,” she says, and Yunho grins.

“For my little princess,” he tells her as he lifts her up in his arms and Minji introduces them to the realtor.

Changmin clutches the rafter of the second floor balcony as he watch them. Kyuhyun comes to stand behind him, looking down at the family curiously.

“What is it?” he asks.

“That’s him,” Changmin tells him in a whisper, “That’s my Yunho.”


	2. Chapter 2

Changmin stares up at the light of one of the guest bedrooms, hand clutching the rug under him, “Do you think he’d still love me?” he asks.

Boa’s the one who answers him, “Changmin… I’m sorry to be so negative, but I don’t think so. You were a high school relationship. And maybe you had stars in your eyes and all you really saw was each other, and maybe you loved each other… But he has a family now. He’s what? Twenty-eight? He’s been out living his life, and you’ve been stuck in here. Stuck as a sixteen year old with what’s probably an unhealthy obsession for your high school boyfriend.”

“He loved me,” Changmin chokes out.

“And how long did you two date? six months? A year? Maybe even two? It couldn’t have been that long.”

Changmin purses his lips and tries to stop crying. There’s truth in what Boa’s saying to him. They’d only dated for a year. But still, they had been friends since they were kids, and the bond they had was close to unreal.

“She’s right, Changmin,” Kyuhyun tells him, and Julien nods as well.

“Just be happy he’s here,” Julien suggests, “Be happy you can see him again, see how his life played out.”

“But I can… I can tell him what happened. He probably feels so guilty. I bet it haunts him,” Changmin lays his cheek against the rough rug, lets his tears catch there.

“If you think that’s smart,” Boa tells him, and Changmin is no longer sure if it is.

He spends a month just watching him. He loves his daughter; Changmin can tell that easily. It’s not that easy to see his love for his wife, but maybe his eyes are a little too hopeful.

“They argue a lot,” he tells no one in particular, but he knows there’s someone listening. There’s always someone listening.

He makes a point to threaten any of the residents who attempt to mess with Yunho and his family, and for a while he’s content just watching, but then he wants more. He wants Yunho to see him. He’ll recognize him in an instant; Changmin’s sure of it.

So he waits for the perfect moment, waits for when no one’s home, and then he acts. He acts like he’s entering the kitchen, just in case. Yunho looks up from the groceries he’s unloading and stares at him.

“Who’re you?” he asks, and Changmin’s heart sinks.

“Changmin,” he answers with a small smile, and Yunho nods.

“And what are you doing in my house?”

Changmin’s heart stills at that, and he almost breaks down in tears, “You don’t know who I am?”

Yunho’s eyebrows raise, “Should I?”

Changmin feels tears come up, but he forces them away. He has to save himself here, has to figure out a way to make this situation seem normal to Yunho.

“Oh,” he begins and takes a deep breath, “I was under the impression that they’d told you of me. You see, I was the housekeeper here for the last owners. Me and my mother. Our family’s been the help here for years. So you could almost say I come with the house.”

The characteristic smile finally makes it’s way back onto Yunho’s face, “Ah, okay. Well, no, I wasn’t aware at all. Both me and my wife work, so we could probably use the help around here. Come back tomorrow around noon, I can discuss it with her this evening.”

Changmin nods, “Of course, but the bus doesn’t come for another hour. Do you think I could wait here until then?”

“Ah, yes, please sit down. I’ll get you something to drink,” he brings him a glass of water and sits next to him. Changmin looks down at the counter in front of them and desperately wants to shout out the truth. Someone died there. Someone died right where he’s sitting, and he died too. Upstairs in the master bedroom. He can show him the exact place.

But he keeps his mouth shut and he lets Yunho talk instead.

“So, Changmin, how old are you?”

“Nineteen,” Changmin tells him, the regular lie he’s gotten used to despite the little he’s used it.

“And you’re not in college?”

Changmin gives him a sad smile, “My college money was used to pay for my mother’s hospital bills. She passed just last year. I make enough to support myself with a roommate, but maybe I’ll save for college one day. Who knows.”

Yunho nods, a look of pity in his eyes, “My mother’s in a home right now. That’s why I moved my family down here, so I can take care of her as best I can. She’s not strong enough to live with us of course, but I visit her as much as possible.”

Changmin nods, “That’s sweet of you. Did you used to live here?”

“Not in this neighborhood, no. Actually, I got attacked a few blocks from here once. Nasty memories. Though I don’t quite remember what happened,” he takes a breath, and Changmin stops his mouth from hanging open at Yunho’s statement, “I grew up here, in this town. Spent my entire life here.”

“So I bet there are lots of memories with the town,” Changmin expands, “Memories of love?” he gives a small laugh at that, and Yunho joins in.

“High school sweethearts and things like that? No… I didn’t date during high school,” he smiles at Changmin, and Changmin fights the need to cry.

They talk for a little while longer, working hours and what exactly the job entails, and then Changmin excuses himself to leave for the bus, allowing himself to cry the moment he’s out the door.

“He doesn’t remember you?” Jaejoong questions with a wicked grin on his face, but Changmin knows he’s already quite clear on the answer.

“Doesn’t remember me at all,” he tells him, and for once he allows Jaejoong to touch him, to hold him close as they lean against the house.

“So maybe you weren’t that special after all? Just a simple traumatic experience was enough to erase you. Though I got him pretty good that night.”

Changmin chokes out a sob and slams Jaejoong’s head into the brick wall. The man spits out blood and shakes his bloodied head at Changmin.

“Oh sure just bash my head in. Just like you did to Julien. I’m not as friendly as him, Changmin. I won’t comfort you through this. Just kill him already. Save yourself trouble. If you think he’ll leave his wife for you, you’re wrong. They don’t leave. If you want him, you have to force him to be with you.”

Changmin’s vision’s blurred with tears as he scampers away from Jaejoong, running back into the house and straight into his “mother’s” arms.

“Oh, sweetie,” she gasps as she holds him close, running a hand through his hair, “Oh, my little baby, what’s wrong? Has someone hurt you? Is there something you need?”

“If he dies in this house then he can be with me forever,” he cries out. She stays silent, “But I don’t want to be responsible for his death. I don’t want to take him from his life. I don’t want to take him from his family. He loves his daughter. I can’t take him from her.”

He wrinkled hands smooth over his hair, “Sshh, darling, it’ll be alright. You don’t need him. You have your mom… You have your mom and the others here. Let him die on his accord. If it was meant to be, he’ll die here of natural causes.”

Changmin works as the housekeeper as he’d claimed he would. He’d always been in charge of cleaning at home, so it isn’t anything too foreign. Sometimes the others help him, but they mostly just give him looks of pity or distaste.

Yoochun spent the entire day watching him clean once, not offering help or talking. Just watching. Changmin had tried to ignore him, but eventually it got to be too much.

  _He turns to the smoking man with a horrid glare._

_“What do you want?”_

_He shakes his head at him, “Don’t tear apart this family, Changmin. Married men are weak. Yunho will fall easily, but you shouldn’t tempt him. Leave him alone. It isn’t worth it.”_

_Changmin swallows, “I love him, Yoochun.”_

_The man shakes his head again, and he drops his cigarette bud onto the floor before disappearing into another room._

But now he’s lying on the rug of the guest bedroom, the residents he can call friends surrounding him.

“What do I do?” he groans, “If I throw myself at him that wouldn’t make him love me. He’d think of me as a whore who just wants to fuck with a married man. I don’t want him to think of me like that.”

“Just talk to him,” Kyuhyun suggests, “Become his friend. Treat him nicely. Flirt him up a bit, but discreetly. Eventually he’ll make the first move. There’s a certain way he looks at you. I’ve noticed it easily.”

“And then what happens?” Boa asks, “They fall in love all over again and what? Changmin waits for him to die of old age? Would you still love him when he’s old and wrinkly, Changmin? Would you?”

 Changmin sniffles at her blunt remarks, “We were supposed to grow old together…”

“Well you can’t,” Boa snaps, and Changmin’s about to burst into tears before his head is pulled into Julien’s lap.

“Shut up, Boa. Stop worrying him,” he smooths his large hands over Changmin’s hair, rubbing his thumbs against his temples, “I say you make him jealous. Like Kyuhyun said, it’s obvious he wants you. We just need a little something to set him off.”

Changmin looks up at him, “What do you have in mind?”

He relays the plan to Changmin, and Changmin’s skeptical at first.

But he’d try anything to get his Yunho back.

The next day Julien appears at the front door, a convincing looking business card in his hand. Minji opens the door as planned, and Julien introduces himself, says he’s looking for a job.

Minji smiles at him and tells him that yes, they were in fact thinking about getting a gardener.

His smile brightens, and he hands the card to her. He starts the next week.

It’s a month after Julien started working that they put the plan in action.

Changmin’s washing dishes in the kitchen, and Yunho’s sitting at the counter looking through paperwork. Every once in a while Changmin will feel the man’s eyes on him, but he doesn’t dare look back to find if it’s true or not.

Julien comes in shirtless and sweaty after working outside during the hot afternoon.

Yunho glances up from his papers to look at Julien, to watch him grab a glass from the cabinet and fill it with water. Changmin glances over at Julien as well, turning off the water as he finishes the washing. He doesn’t make his gaze discreet whatsoever, tries to make it obvious to Yunho that his eyes sweep over Julien’s physique.

Yunho clears his throat when he notices, and Julien gives him a smile, “I’m sorry, Mr. Jung, have I disturbed you? I’ll be out again in just a second.”

“It’s fine,” Yunho tells him, “Perhaps next time you could enter the house with a little more modesty though.”

Julien nods and walks to the sink. Changmin’s breath hitches as he walks past. He can’t see Yunho’s facial expressions, and it’s the most stressful thing he’s experienced. Julien’s hand ghosts to his bum, and he gives it a small discreet pinch. It’s an action Yunho will definitely notice, and Changmin squeaks a bit when it happens, almost dropping the plate.

Yunho takes a deep breath, and Changmin glances back to see a look of fire in his eyes. He doesn’t address them, so he continues on with his work, opening the cabinet to put all the dishes away.

“Julien,” Yunho finally begins, “May I speak to you in the other room.”

There’s a smacked puppy look to Julien’s expression when he nods, and Changmin makes a mental note to compliment the man’s acting skills later.

He walks with Yunho into the living room, and the divider is closed so they can have their conversation in private, “Is something the matter, Mr. Jung?”

Yunho takes a deep breath, “Yes actually, would you mind explaining why you’re harassing my housekeeper?”

Julien nods in understanding, “Ah, so that’s it. I wouldn’t really say harassing would you? I just play around with him a bit. He’s cute. I’d hate for that cuteness to go to waste.”

A scowl makes its way onto Yunho’s expression, “So there have been other times? Because what I just witnessed was completely out of term. I won’t tolerate that. Changmin’s a nice boy, he doesn’t deserve someone like you abusing his niceness.”

Julien nods, “Alright. It won’t happen again. But you’ve got to admit, he has an extremely cute ass.”

Yunho doesn’t reply to that, merely swallows and orders that Julien not use the door in the kitchen anymore.

Changmin is putting silverware back when Yunho returns. He looks up when Yunho enters, an innocent look in his eyes, “Is he fired?” he asks, voice shaking a little.

Yunho’s eyes move over him for a bit, “No. Unless you think it’s bad enough for him to be fired.”

Changmin shakes his head, “Julien’s a nice guy, even if he can’t keep his hands to himself.”

Yunho nods, “And do you really mind that much?”

Changmin looks up from the drawer. He looks Yunho straight in the eyes for the first time, “Are you implying something?” he asks, and Yunho holds his gaze.

“You didn’t seem to mind very much, and the way you looked at him suggests a few things,” Yunho states, there’s hardly any emotion in his voice.

Changmin’s only seen Yunho mad a few times, but he knows this is exactly how he handles his anger. With an unblinking glower and clean cut words sharp enough to kill.

Changmin clears his throat and looks down at the counter. Yunho getting this angry wasn’t part of the plan, “He’s good-looking, I’ll admit to thinking that, and sometimes I can’t help but look,” he looks up at Yunho through his eyelashes, “But there are plenty of attractive men out there, aren’t there, Mr. Jung?”

Yunho’s gaze finally drops. His lips part a little, and Changmin desperately wants him to leave the room already. Yunho’s only become more handsome as he’s aged. Changmin’s already been quite enamored by the man’s appearance, and his current expression doesn’t help that problem whatsoever. He’s looking at him like he’s ready to spread him over the counter and take him right there in kitchen, and Changmin wouldn’t mind one bit.

But it’s too soon, and he doesn’t want Yunho to only lust for him.

He wants him to love him.

So it’s a relief when Yunho excuses himself from the kitchen, grabbing his paperwork and setting off towards his office.

Changmin lets out a breath and slumps against the counter.

“Oh you laid that on thick, didn’t you?” Jaejoong enters the kitchen in a saunter, rolling his eyes towards Changmin, “’There are plenty of attractive men, aren’t there, Mr. Jung?’” he mocks, “Oh you’re pathetic. Completely pathetic. Just like you’ve always been. I’m telling you, Changmin. This whole seduction technique of yours won’t work. Kill him or he won’t be yours. Take him forcefully or you’ll never have him. Let him fall in love with you in death. Though I doubt he’d ever love you anyways. That’s not what he wants from you, Changmin. You don’t give looks like that out of love.”

Changmin glares at him, “Go away, Jaejoong. I don’t want your advice.”

“Oh you don’t want _my_ advice?” he laughs, “But Miss Stabbed’s advice is fine. As is the advice of the one who drank himself to death. Even the advice of the one you fucking murdered is fine. But you stop at my advice,” Changmin grips the counter as Jaejoong moves towards him. There’s a crazed look in his eyes like Changmin’s never seen, “My advice should be the only one you take!” he yells, “Do you know how I died, Changmin!? Do you fucking know?!” he’s yelling straight at Changmin’s face, and Changmin forces himself not to shrink away.

“You ate a bullet,” he states plainly, and Jaejoong’s lips part at his words.

“How did you know?”

“There’s an exit wound on the back of your head,” Changmin answers, and he sees a glisten appear in Jaejoong’s eyes before a single tear falls down his cheek, “You’re crying,” he comments.

Jaejoong answers with a sniffle and a nod.

“That’s good. You deserve to.”

Changmin pushes him away and leaves the kitchen without a glance back.

 

“Did it work?” Boa asks him, and Changmin can only shrug.

“He always comes home thirty minutes earlier,” he tells her, “Do you think that means something?”

Boa gives him a forced smile, “I’m sure it does.”

Changmin nods at her, but the next day Yunho comes home late.

 

He hears Yunho and Minji argue. It’s not uncommon that they disagree, but this time it’s full on yelling. He sits outside of their bedroom to listen. Boa joins him when the yelling gets louder.

Yunho’s angry with Minji, Changmin finds out. She’s going on a business trip, but she planned it without Yunho’s knowledge, and she’s leaving that night.

Boa lays her head on Changmin’s shoulder, “Maybe this is your chance,” she tells him, a wicked grin on her face, and he hears Jaejoong laugh from the end of the hall.

 

Yunho comes home early the next day, much earlier than an extra thirty minutes. Changmin immediately sets to work cleaning the kitchen, and Yunho gives him a genuine smile when he walks into the kitchen.

“You’re home early,” Changmin comments as he finishes scrubbing down a counter.

“So you do notice,” Yunho says with a laugh, and it sets Changmin’s eyes to him curiously, “I quit today.”

Changmin blinks at him, “So soon?”

“It was the same company I’ve always worked for. When we moved I just got transferred to their department here,” Yunho explains, and Changmin nods.

“Do you mind me asking why?”

Yunho shakes his head, “Ask whatever you want. I just felt I should get a less demanding job now that Minji’s working as much as she is. I want to be there more for Yebin. My daughter deserves the best from her parents.”

Changmin smiles at his answer, remembering how much Yunho loved kids even as a teenager, “I’m sure Yebin will appreciate that.”

Yunho nods, “At least she will.”

Changmin’s silent for quite some time after that, “Would you like me to get you something to drink, Mr. Jung?”

“Tea, please,” he requests, and there’s a solemnness to his tone, “And you can call me Yunho, Changminnie.”

Changmin’s grip tightens on the kettle’s handle, “Alright, Yunho,” he forces out, trying to stop his voice as well as his body from shaking.

He makes herbal tea, knowing quite well that Yunho doesn’t drink caffeine. Never had. It’s comforting to see the things that haven’t changed in the man. Just like the pet name, the simple, easy pet name. Changminnie.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Yunho asks and gives a short laugh when he notices Changmin tensing, “Relax. I know I’m your employer and there’s quite an age difference, but I feel like we should be able to be friends.”

Changmin looks down at the counter then back up at him. His lips are pursed as he takes in Yunho’s smiling face. There’s hurt in his eyes despite the smile lines beside them, “I’m not actually interested in girls,” he tells him, and he sees something new appear in his eyes. Hopefulness maybe? Or perhaps it’s closer to desperation.

“So a boyfriend then?” he asks, and Changmin shakes his head.

“Single,” he answers, and Yunho nods.

“Well no matter the gender, never get married unless you have very great cause in doing so,” he advises him, and Changmin watches the hurt overpower all other emotions in his eyes once more. He forgot how expressive those dark orbs are.

“Are you not happy in your married life?” he asks as he removes the tea bag from the mug.

Yunho sighs, “I wouldn’t necessarily say that, but maybe I just wasn’t cut out to be married.”

“Did you have a reason?” Changmin asks, and Yunho’s eyebrow furrow at his words, “I mean did you have a cause to tie yourself down.”

Yunho smiles at him, and this time it’s genuine again, “My daughter,” he answers, and Changmin hands him his tea, “Although maybe I’m just as bad of parent as I am a husband.”

Changmin’s lips press into a tight line as he watches Yunho take a sip from his tea, “I think you doubt yourself too much.”

Yunho lets our a breathy chuckle at his claim, but he nods, “Maybe you’re right.”

Changmin smiles, and he goes back to cleaning the kitchen.

Yunho drinks his tea in silence, speaking again only when he’s finished, “Changminnie,” he says, and Changmin immediately turns from the cabinets to look at Yunho, “This may sound like an odd request, but you see, Minji’s gone tonight with her business trip, and Yebin’s at her aunt’s… And I was wondering if you would be willing to stay here for the night. It’s pathetic coming from a grown man, but this place really gives me the creeps at night.”

Changmin blinks at him, not expecting the request to come so bluntly, “Of course,” Changmin answers, not thinking about his reply one bit.

Yunho nods with a giant grin on his face, “Thank you, Changminnie,” he tells him, and Changmin excuses himself to clean the office, not sure if he’d soon seem suspicious only cleaning the kitchen.

“You’re being stupid,” he hears the moment he enters the office. Yoochun’s leaning against the bookshelf, no cigarette in his mouth.

“I’m finally getting what I want. Leave me alone,” Changmin tells him, but he knows Yoochun has reason behind his claim.

“You know what he wants from you, don’t you? He doesn’t love you, Changmin. Not one bit. He doesn’t even know you. Do you know what he brought home after he went out this morning? Do you know what he went and bought? There’s a fresh bottle of lube and new box of condoms in this nightstand. Go look. It’s there. He was planning this, and all he wants is sex.”

Changmin shakes his head, “But I can change that.”

Yoochun scoffs, “All you are to him is a pretty thing. A young and easy sex partner. He isn’t looking for love, Changmin. Down this road there’s only lust.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Changmin tells him, “Yunho would never use someone like that.”

Yoochun moves closer to him, “Except I do know what I’m talking about. I really do. Don’t pull apart this family. Just don’t do it.”

“He doesn’t love his wife. He doesn’t love Minji.”

“They’re _married_ , Changmin,” Yoochun’s grips Changmin’s arms in angry hold. It’s the first time Yoochun’s ever touched him, “And do you think Yunho would really be that keen to leave her when there’s a chance his precious daughter might get taken from him? This isn’t going to work out. Just accept that.”

Changmin shakes off his hands, “I just want to be with him again.”

 

Yunho offers to let him shower later that evening, and Changmin accepts the invitation with a quick thank you. Despite being dead, the feeling of the hot water is still nice, comforting. It feels good on his skin, makes him feel better than he has in a very long time. When he steps out of the shower there’s a small pile of clothes on the counter. Yunho’s clothes. It stirs a warm feeling inside of him as he dresses himself in the man’s clothes. They’re loose and soft on his skin.

When he leaves the bathroom he sees Yunho sitting on the couch in his bedroom. There’s a TV facing it, and Yunho holds up some DVD. Changmin doesn’t even notice the title.

“Watch a movie with me?” Yunho requests, and Changmin nods at once, claiming a spot on the soft couch.

He gravitates towards Yunho as the movie starts, and by the middle he’s already snuggled under Yunho’s arm.

They stay in that position even when the movie’s over.

“You must think me desperate and creepy,” Yunho comments, “I’m your employer, and I invite you to stay the night,” he lets out a hollow laugh, and Changmin enjoys the way his chest vibrates as he speaks.

“I’m the one cuddling up to you, aren’t I?” Changmin counters, and Yunho smiles down at him, “I understand. Don’t worry about it. You’re lonely. I get that,” Changmin assures him.

Yunho presses his nose against his hair and breathes in his scent, “And maybe a little infatuated with a certain housekeeper,” he adds.

Changmin laughs at that comment, and when he looks up at Yunho the man’s already staring down at him.

Their lips meet, and Changmin isn’t sure who leaned in first, but he knows that Yunho’s lips on his are a familiar comfort he’s wanted for ages.

He tastes different than before of course. He kisses different too. There’s a new gentleness in the way his lips move. It’s obvious he has much more experience now, and Changmin tries not to let his lack thereof make him nervous.

Yunho pulls Changmin on top of him, to sit pliant in his lap as the kiss deepens. He licks Changmin’s lips until the younger grants him access, and his hands roam down Changmin’s back to rest just above his ass, pushing the oversized shirt up until he can place his hands on the soft skin underneath.

Changmin lets his own hands roam over Yunho’s shoulders and muscular arms, feeling the thickness he’s gained in the last ten years. He feels himself already growing hard, pressing up against Yunho’s stomach, and the older man laughs into his mouth when he feels him.

“So young and eager,” he breathes out against his neck, and Changmin whimpers at the warmth of his breath.

His shirt is pulled off and thrown to the floor; Changmin quickly gives the same treatment to Yunho, admiring the new sight, and with a start he realizes Yunho’s doing the same to him, letting his dark eyes ghost over Changmin’s chest and abs before smoothing his hands over the skin.

He lets himself be lifted up and carried to the bed, breath skipping as Yunho climbs on top of him, mouthing at his neck and collarbone until Changmin’s mewling like a kitten denied milk.

“You make the sweetest noises,” Yunho tells him, and Changmin remembers all the times he’d heard that praise from Yunho. Every time he laughed, every time let out a little startled squeak, even when he sneezed. The first time they had sex, Changmin tried to keep quiet, but Yunho had kissed him breathless and told him he wanted to hear every little gorgeous sound. Changmin had blushed, just as he’s doing now.

Yunho kisses his blushing cheeks and smiles sweetly at him, but his eyes aren’t sweet. His eyes are glazed over with lust and need, and Changmin can feel his hard-on now; he reaches down to push off his pants and moans at the sight of Yunho without a single bit of modesty.

They kiss again as Changmin’s pants come off too, and Yunho reaches for a condom and lube, everything new just like Yoochun told him. It brings a churning feeling to his stomach, and when Yunho pushes in his first slicked finger, Changmin feels tears come to his eyes.

Yunho notices at once and pulls out his finger. Changmin admires his self control, “Changminnie,” he gasps out, “Baby what’s wrong? Did I hurt you? Oh, Changminnie, please tell me you’ve done this before.”

Changmin nods at once, “Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” he gasps out, forcing down his tears, “Everything’s fine. Please just keep going.”

Yunho gives him a worried glance, but he pushes his finger back in anyways. Changmin’s toes curl as he fucks the finger in and out of him, adding a second not too long after. By the time his third finger is inside of him, they’ve both seemed to have forgotten about Changmin’s small episode, and soon Yunho’s pulling out all of his fingers.

Changmin keens at the loss of fullness, but is soon rewarded with Yunho’s cock pushing through his still tight ring of muscles.

“You feel amazing,” Yunho tells him, and Changmin moans at the praise.

They start a rhythm, Yunho thrusting into him like his life depends on it as Changmin writhes under him, whimpering and moaning at each movement. He clenches around Yunho, watching as he moans above him. Their mouths connect again, and Changmin’s bent in on himself as they fuck.

“You’re so tight,” Yunho moans out, and Changmin replies with a mewl about his size.

Changmin spills first, all over his chest, and Yunho seems lost in the sight of it.

Yunho doesn’t pull out right after he cums, instead he lays there for a while, on top of him with his dick still inside him.

“You have the prettiest eyes,” Yunho tells him before he finally rolls off, tossing the condom into the trash and reaching for a tissue to clean up Changmin.

Changmin doesn’t know what to say at first, just enjoys the compliment in silence for a while. He wants to hear Yunho’s voice compliment every single part of him, wants to know the man loves all of him, even if it’s just the outside.

“Thank you,” Changmin finally whispers in reply, and Yunho smiles at him. He pulls him against his chest, and Changmin enjoys the feel of his chest plush against his cheeks, “I can sleep here tonight?” Changmin asks.

Yunho answers by pulling the covers over them.

Changmin wakes to kisses against his cheeks and temples, hands running through his hair. He laughs at how good it feels to be waked up in such a way and presses his head against the hands, sighing at the comforting kisses.

“You’re so cute,” Yunho tells him, and Changmin hums at the praise, letting Yunho pull him closer and kiss his neck.

He pushes the covers off of them and pulls Changmin on top of him, kissing him on the lips now. When they break away he smiles up at him, “You have the best lips,” he tells him, “All pouty and always such a pretty color.”

Changmin blushes again, an embarrassed smile brought on by his words.

Yunho’s fingers curl around his hair for a bit before he pushes him down by the shoulders, “Suck me off?”

Changmin looks up at him as he’s gently pushed all the way down until his face is right at Yunho’s crotch. Changmin hadn’t even noticed his hard-on before. Yunho gives him an encouraging smile, and Changmin can’t say no to that, so he presses his lips to his crown first, a sort of wet kiss before he opens his mouth and lets Yunho’s dick fill it.

He swallows up all the pre-cum, and he hears Yunho gasp above him. His fingers work the base that he can’t fit into his mouth, and he presses his tongue against the underside as he moves his mouth on him. He’s never given head before. It was never something he did with Yunho while they were together. Yunho had gone down on him twice, but Changmin was always too nervous.

He’s still nervous and extremely concerned by his lack of skill. Everything he does is based on what he saw Yunho do and what he’s seen in porn, and he hopes his lack of confidence isn’t too apparent.

Changmin nearly chokes when Yunho bucks up into his mouth.

“Relax, Changminnie,” Yunho grunts out, “Fold your lips over your teeth,” Changmin does as he’s told, and Yunho bucks up again, forcing himself down his throat.

It doesn’t hurt, not too bad at least. Yunho’s being careful with his thrusts into his mouth, being as gentle as he can while still getting his release.

He shoots without warning, and Changmin gags at the sudden taste of cum in his mouth. He attempts to swallow what he can, and Yunho lets him milk out his orgasm. A hand reaches out and pets Changmin comfortingly, and Changmin jumps in shock to look up and see Yunho’s hands both dug into the covers under him. He glances up as nonchalantly as he can, whimpering when he sees Kyuhyun there, a look of pity in his eyes.

Changmin pushes himself off of Yunho’s dick, trying to shake off Kyuhyun’s hand at the same time. Cum drips down his chin when he finally sits up, and Yunho pulls him into his arms.

“You’d never done that before had you?” he asks, and Changmin shakes his head.

Yunho nods, “I’m sorry, baby. I forgot how young you are,” he kisses him, tasting himself on Changmin’s lips. He gives him a smile before leaving the bed.

“Replace the sheets, will you?” he asks, but it’s more of an order, “I’m going to go shower. I have a job interview today.”

Changmin nods and pulls the comforter around himself as Yunho leaves. The churning comes back to his stomach, and he lets out a sob the moment he hears the shower start. He feels used and unloved, unwanted. Kyuhyun’s hand returns to his hair, running his fingers through it as comfortingly as he can.

Changmin shakes him off, “Go away,” he demands, “Please, just go away.”

Kyuhyun nods at his request, and he turns away with one last sad glance.

When the bed dips down from a new visitor, Changmin wishes he would have let him stay.

“It’ll be alright, Changminnie,” Jaejoong tells him, gently stroking his cheek, laughing when his fingers hit the drying cum on his chin, “You know at least you wont lose your looks. You’ll always be this pretty, which is good because that’s obviously the only thing he likes you for. But of course it was probably always that way. You know, I think his death should be a violent one.”

Changmin chokes out a sob, and he pushes Jaejoong away with a rough shove, “He’ll love me. He really will. If he loved me once, he can love me again.”

Jaejoong lets out a short scoff, “Of course he can.”

 

His and Yunho’s relationship sets off from their. Yunho gets a part-time job at a children’s book store just a few blocks away, and it makes Changmin smile remembering how Yunho has always loved kids and books.

But there’s no time to discover those little facts about Yunho anymore. They fuck every where they can. Yunho takes him on top of the counter in the kitchen, over the desk in the office, he eats him out on the rug in the guest room and then Changmin rides him into oblivion, and Yunho compliments his every move, his every sound and every little thing about his appearance.

It should make Changmin feel loved, but he doesn’t feel that at all. Yoochun and Jaejoong’s words stick in his head, swimming around with no rest. Nights when Minji’s home he spends crying, sometimes in the arms of Julien, Kyuhyun, or Boa, sometimes just alone.

“He’s hurting my baby,” his “mother” groans out one day, and she sobs as she relays her plans of murder for Yunho.

Jaejoong laughs at her, “It’s not Yunho, you idiot. We need to get rid of Minji and Yebin, then Changmin will be fine with ending Yunho’s life, and then your little baby will be happy with his love for the rest of eternity.”

She thinks long and hard at his words, “We have to get Minji out of the house,” she says with a nod, “We have to make Minji leave Yunho.”

They get all the residents in on the plan, but Minji’s not easily scared and the lack of time she spends at the house makes it harder for them to drive her to insanity.

She comes home early from a business trip one day, and they’re sure that’ll do it. As soon as she enters the bedroom and sees Changmin sleeping naked in her and her husband’s bed they’re sure she’ll be out of there.

But she only scoffs and rolls her eyes, pulling off her jacket and dropping it onto the couch.

Changmin wakes with a startle, staring at her with fear in his eyes.

“What?” she asks, “Did you think I didn’t know? I didn’t want to assume so low of Yunho that’d he do it in our own bed, but I guess nothing’s sacred in this marriage.”

Changmin watches her take off her jewelry, rubbing her wrists as she sits down in the chair facing the bed, “You don’t love him?” he asks her, “At all?”

She smiles, as if his questions are amusing to her, “I love him just as much as he loves me,” Changmin looks away from her, and she continues, “We got married for a child. That’s all it is. You’re not the first little boy toy he’s had, and I haven’t been very faithful either,” she shakes her head, “Just replace the sheets and get out.”

 

Changmin hears them argue a few nights later. It’s shouting of the perfect volume, loud enough for them to get their point across, but not loud enough for Yebin to hear in her room.

“Stop putting the blame on me, Yunho. I am doing everything I can for this family. So Yebin’s getting in trouble at school, acting out. You think that’s my fault? Maybe she’s seen you fuck with that twink of a housekeeper, and she thinks all immoral acts are just fine,” he hears Minji snap at Yunho.

Yunho groans at her accusations, “Or maybe she needs a mom who’s actually around to _be_ a mother. Instead of an emotionless workaholic.”

“Oh so now I’m emotionless? Well if you really want emotion I can give you that. Every time I think about you, I get so angry. When I look at your face, I am disgusted that I ever thought it was a good idea to marry you. So what if you’re a good dad? You’re the shittiest husband there is. I’m angry at my parents for telling me you’d be a great match. I’m angry at myself for letting my need for a daughter to let me get stuck with a shitty man like you. There’s your fucking emotion,” she takes a deep breath before storming out of the bedroom, giving Changmin a disgusted look as she passes him, “Get your ass ready,” she tells him, “He’s going to need a good lay.”

Yunho appears in the hallway not long after, jumping at the sound of the front door slamming.

Changmin looks up at him with pursed lips, “I’m sorry,” he tells him, and Yunho gives him a small smile.

“It’s alright,” Yunho tells him as he walks towards him, enveloping him in his arms, “I deserve it.”

Changmin buries his face in Yunho’s chest, breathes in the scent of the other man. Despite everything that’s happened he still finds it comforting.

Yunho nuzzles into his hair before he presses his hands to Changmin’s cheeks and forces him to look up. They kiss, violent and rough. His fingers tangle through Changmin’s hair before he tears off his shirt and pulls him into the bedroom, kicking the door closed with his foot.

They break apart for Yunho to pull of Changmin’s pants and unbutton his own. He grabs the lube from the bedside table and forces it into Changmin’s hands before lifting him up again, pressing him against the wall hard enough for him to hit his head against it.

“The lube,” Yunho grunts out, and Changmin nods, squeezing a good amount onto his hand before smearing it onto Yunho’s hard-on.

He lifts Changmin a little more before thrusting up into him. Changmin yelps out at the speedy intrusion, whimpering as Yunho fucks into him without a single gentle movement.

“God you’re still so tight,” he pants out, “Love it,” he tells him, “Love your tight little hole, it feels so fucking amazing.”

Changmin digs his nails into Yunho’s arms, trying to focus on the praise rather than how uncomfortable most of his thrusts feel.

Yunho mouths at his neck, giving him sloppy and wet kisses there, “And your neck is so long, so pale and soft and so perfect to mark. I love your neck, and your chest. You’re so sensitive there.”

Changmin whimpers out and smiles from his words.

“Love your smile,” he tells him, “Love the way it shapes your eyes, and I love how cute your cheeks look when you’re blushing.”

“Love you,” Changmin chokes out, and he watches Yunho to see some sort of emotion he can’t decipher pass through his eyes before his mouth crashes against his in a fast kiss.

Yunho cums inside of him and pulls out at once, setting him back down on his legs with shaking arms. He gives him a kiss and smooths his hands over his arms, “You should leave now,” he tells him, and Changmin nods with tears in his eyes.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Julien is waiting for him in the hallway and he helps him flatten down the wrinkles on his shirt before pulling him into his arms, letting him cry into his chest, “It’ll be okay,” he tells him, “We’ll make it okay for you.”

 

Jaejoong hands Boa the bottle of clear liquid, and she immediately shakes her head, “We can’t do it like this,” she tells him.

“It’s the only way. Minji’s still coming back. She hasn’t left him yet.”

Boa looks up at him and shakes her head again. Her mother joins them and takes the bottle from her hands.

“This will make my baby happy?” she asks Jaejoong, and he nods without letting Boa say a word.

The woman nods and opens the bottle, hands shaking as she opens the small pink bowl as well.

 

Yunho comes home with tears stained onto his cheeks. Changmin’s waiting for him in the kitchen as always.

“You’re home late,” he comments, and Yunho nods, shaking as he walks over to him. He falls into his arms, and Changmin holds him as tight as he can, “Is something wrong?” he hears Yunho sniffle in his arms and he feels tears soak into his shirt.

“Yebin… she’s in the hospital. Or… I guess not anymore. I guess she’s in the morgue now,” he looks up at Changmin, tears clouding his vision, “Something happened to her at school. They… they thinks something was in her food. They haven’t fully investigated yet. M-Minji and I are going in for questioning tomorrow. And she wants a divorce. Which… I guess it’s for the best. She’s already made plans to move back to live with her sister.”

Changmin listens to every word, smoothing down his hair in an effort to calm him. He sits him down at the table and kisses his cheek, “It’ll be alright,” he tells him along with other pointless whispers of comfort.

He holds him there for a while, pressing kisses to the top of his head, “Would you like me to fix you something to eat?” he asks him, and Yunho nods weekly. He presses one last kiss to his cheek before he gets up and goes to the stove.

He starts some simple soup, not looking back at Yunho as he watches it cook. He’s pouring it into a bowl when he notices Kyuhyun beside him. There’s a dark bottle in his hand and in it a clear liquid. He presses it into Changmin’s hands and nods towards the bowl.

Changmin stares at him for a good while before his gaze transfers to the bottle.

His hands shake as he brings the bowl to Yunho, and he sits across from him as he eats.

When he’s about half-way done with his food he looks up at Changmin, a sad smile on his face.

“I feel a little weird,” he tells him, but he continues to eat. His eyes don’t leave Changmin’s. Soon he starts missing his mouth and his eyes don’t focus properly on Changmin, “Why’re you crying?” he asks him right before he sways into unconsciousness.

“He didn’t love you,” he hears someone say, and he looks back to see Yoochun standing with the rest of the residents.

“He has forever to learn.”


End file.
